I recently got this press release from Stephen Hunt and just had to share it :) “The Court of the Air” was one of my favorite novels in 2007—you can read my review HERE and an interview with StephenHERE—and thanks to Tor, it’s coming to the US, where I think it could make a really big splash along with its follow-up “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves”. For UK readers, the semi-sequel is currently set for a May 6, 2008 release and is one of my most anticipated books of the New Year. So be sure to keep an eye on these titles and here’s the Official Press Release:

December 14, 2007 – London & New York. Airlie Lawson and Tara Hiatt, Rights Directors at HarperCollins in London, have confirmed a major two-book deal with Claire Eddy of Tor Books in New York, to publish “The Court of the Air” by Stephen Hunt, and his follow-up fantasy novel, “The Kingdom Beyond the Waves”.

HarperCollins Voyager acquired World rights in three novels from literary agent John Jarrold, and have already sold German, French, Japanese, Spanish and Portuguese rights, and are presently pursuing interest in a number of other markets.

'I'm delighted,' said John Jarrold. 'I've known the guys at Tor for over twenty years, and they have a wonderful reputation. I don't think Stephen could be in better hands in the US. Congratulations to him, HarperCollins and Claire!'

HarperCollins acquired “The Court of the Air” in 2006 after the company won a fierce auction for the work, seeing off many other major publishers to acquire Hunt's title.

Fantasy and science fiction author Stephen Hunt is the owner of http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/, the second most popular sci-fi site on the Internet with close to a million readers a month, clocking up 30 million hits a month. Established in 1991, SFcrowsnest.com is one of – if not - the oldest science fiction and fantasy web sites on the web.

“An inventive, ambitious work, full of wonders and marvels.” – The Times

“Hunt can take his place alongside such eminent Magratheans as JRR Tolkien, Mervyn Peake and China Mieville. Creating a fully-realised other-world which feels new and different, yet cohesive and believable is half the battle in a fantasy novel, and it is a battle Hunt wins with honours... Hunt's world is so rich and colourful it keeps you engrossed...It's a confident audacious novel." – SFX

"The characters are convincing and colourful, but the real achievement is the setting, a hellish take on Victorian London where grim, steam-driven machines work beside citizens with magical powers. The Court of the Air is aimed at young adults, but the depth and complexity of Hunt's vision makes it compulsive reading for all ages." – The Guardian

"Wonderfully assured … Hunt knows what his audience like and gives it to them with a sardonic wit and carefully developed tension" – Time Out

“Necropath, Xenopath and Cosmopath feature Jeff Vaughan, a telepath employed by the spaceport on Bengal Station, a vast twenty-level city-port that dominates the ocean between India and Burma. As part of a security team working against terrorists and other undesirables, he reads the minds of visitors to Earth. The first novel follows Vaughan on the trail of a mysterious religious sect, a serial killer, and a soul-sucking alien life form secreted on the Station.”

Solaris Commissioning Editor Christian Dunn said: “Helix was such a fantastic read that we’re thrilled to acquire a sequence that will delight fans of hard SF. Eric is an outstanding talent and these books can only help push him towards the stardom he deserves.”

Sounds quite promising :) Looks like the first Bengal Station novel “Necropath” is slated for a Spring 2009 release, so in the meantime, be sure to check out Eric’s new novel Kethani when it comes out May 6, 2008, and read the full press release HERE.